Aston Villa loanee Robert Snodgrass has explained that he was forced to drop down into the Championship last summer because West Ham wouldn’t allow him to move to a top flight rival.

The winger, though, would happily play in the Premier League with Villa, should they overcome Fulham at Wembley this evening.

Snodgrass is a shoo-in to slot in on the right hand side of midfield for Steve Bruce’s claret and blues in the play-off final after a very impressive season that has produced eight goals and 13 assists.

Ahead of what could potentially be his final game for the club, the Scot has reflected on his decision to move to Villa Park.

Though it was a slow start to the campaign, Villa surged up the table in the months to follow - Snodgrass’ arrival and contribution catalysed that.

With a future at his parent club, under the fresh stewardship of Manuel Pellegrini, uncertain, Snodgrass confirmed that he’d enjoy continuing at Villa Park.

Firstly, though, they must see off the challenge of the Cottagers.

“I came on loan to Aston Villa to be part of something special, to try and help them get back into the Premier League,” Snodgrass told the Express.

“I can’t say it was a straightforward decision, though, because I had a situation where I could only go on loan to a Championship club.

“The owners at West Ham wouldn’t let me go to a Premier League club. There were four or five Championship clubs interested and Aston Villa were 16th or 17th at the time, so it looked as if it would be tough for them to get promotion.

“But I assessed it and thought: ‘If there’s one team that could kick on, it will probably be them.’ And I knew most of the staff here which was a big factor.

“I wanted to part of something and we haven’t looked back since I came in. This game is a chance for me to play in the Premier League again, whether that’s with West Ham or Aston Villa.

“Now as I sit here, I’ve got a second chance to play in front of 90,000 and get this team back to the Premier League.”

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Warnock predicts

Neil Warnock thinks the sheer experience of big occasions that Aston Villa boast in their dressing room could give them the edge today.

Warnock, who has guided Cardiff City to promotion, will pit his wits once more against one of Villa or Fulham in the Premier League next season.

To decide that, the two sides go head to head at Wembley for what if famously dubbed the ‘richest game in football’ - it’s thought to be worth £170m to the winner.

It’s tight; most neutrals can’t see anything between the two clubs who finished fourth and third in the regular Championship season.

Experienced head Warnock, though, thinks the been-there-and-done-it mentality in the claret and blue camp could be telling.

“It’s a toss of the coin,” he said, speaking as a guest on talkSPORT.

“Fulham have been the best footballing team in the division, but Villa have got the names.

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Villa in the play-offs

Villa, understandably, saw it differently - that their play-maker had been targeted by the Bluebirds.

Despite past differences, Warnock also claimed Grealish is as good as any player in the Championship.

“Grealish, I’ve had run-ins with him in the last couple of years, because when you blow on him he goes down. But when he plays he’s as good as anything in that league, I love to watch him play,” he added.

“He’s got everything now and he’s got the best manager he could have hasn’t he? Because if anybody can keep his feet on the floor it’ll be Steve [Bruce].

“He has had run-ins with everybody really, a bit like me. But when you watch him in full flight he’s very exciting.”